


Thirteenth Month

by everywintersbreath



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Mentions of Death, Slow Burn, minghao is a dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-15 04:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15405276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everywintersbreath/pseuds/everywintersbreath
Summary: Junhui really just wants to save his village





	1. Sacrifice?

**Author's Note:**

> hi! im not the best storyteller but i got the idea for this and wanted to try writing it
> 
> hope you enjoy at least somewhat
> 
> (ps sorry for any weird formatting)

When Junhui is chosen as the sacrifice, he smiles.

It’s the same smile he’s worn all his life, from bubbly little baby to optimistic young man. It’s the same smile he’s known for around the village, sweet, a little awkward but intensely warm. It’s the same smile that he keeps strained on his lips as his little brother’s nails dig into the back of his hand, choked sobs echoing in his ears.

The whole crowd is murmuring, some upset, some just glad it isn’t their own child. His parents stand off to the side, his mother’s face buried in her hands. There’s a pang in Junhui’s chest and he looks away before he starts crying too. He can’t turn his back on his duty, even if he’s scared. If his death will appease the gods then he has to die. 

There are so many pairs of eyes looking at him, mostly pitying. One person stands out, stare blazing with intensity. He meets their gaze and suddenly there’s a hand around his wrist, tugging him out of the crowd, his little brother lost to the swarm of villagers.

“You can’t let them do this to you,” Wonwoo hisses darkly, his grip tightening on Junhui to the point where it’s painful. Jun inhales, giving Wonwoo his gentlest look. “I have to.”

Wonwoo’s anger seems to flare at the comment, and he grunts in frustration. “No, you don’t. This isn’t going to solve anything.” 

“Wonwoo-” Junhui starts, cut off by a hand on his shoulder. He whips his head, noticing one of the priests behind him. “We need to start preparing you for the ceremony. You should say goodbye to your family.”

Wonwoo’s grip on his wrist doesn’t falter, and Jun glances at him pleadingly. “C’mon, Wonu.” The other man grimaces, fingers slowly coming loose from Junhui’s arm. His expression is so twisted that Junhui feels like crying again, quickly turning to follow after the priest to avoid breaking down. 

His family stands in a huddle at the other side of the courtyard, being comforted by a few members of the dispersing crowd. Junhui’s eyes roam over the teenagers left in the area, honestly glad that it's him rather than any of them. He doesn’t think he could take watching someone else die. 

“Junnie,” his mother starts when he’s close enough, her eyes puffy. “We love you. I’m so sorry.”

He hugs her, letting his head rest over her shoulder. The priest is standing uncomfortably close to them, a reminder of the fact that Junhui’s life is no longer his own. “I know, mom. I love you guys too. I hope this will mean something.”

She nods her head, breaking out from his embrace with a sniffle. Junhui’s father gives him a sad smile and Junhui kneels down to wrap his arms around his little brother. “Grow up big and strong, okay? Take care of mom and dad for me.”

“I will,” his brother mumbles, and Junhui stands again following the priest with a small wave at his family. If he stays any longer it’ll be even harder to leave. He allows himself to be led to the temple in the center of the village, where he is routinely stripped and cleansed for the ceremony.

The attendants coat his skin in fragrant oils, some of which itch. A loose white robe is draped over his body, some jewelry hung around his arms and neck. He catches sight of his reflection in a puddle of water near the temple’s exit, face drifting in and out of visibility in the dim candlelight. It’s almost funny, this is probably the best he’s ever looked and all he's doing is going to his death. 

One of the attendants accompanies him out of the temple several hours later when it’s time to go, lifting the back of his robe out of the dirt as he follows the procession of priests back towards the town center. He keeps his head lifted, eyes on the ground. The walk itself is probably a minute at most, but it feels like hours.

As he reaches the platform, he really hopes that his family isn’t here watching. He’s too scared to scan the faces in the crowd, too scared to even look up from the steps in front of him despite the serene expression on his face. Each time he lifts his feet, the anxiety builds in his chest like bile. It reaches its highest point when he sits in the center of the platform, robes falling around him. 

A different priest from earlier approaches carrying a ceremonial blade, likely the one to be performing the ritual. From somewhere in the crowd there is a shout and Junhui looks up unconsciously, seeing Wonwoo being dragged away by some of the older farmers. Wonwoo’s stare locks with his own, looking incredibly distraught. Junhui smiles at him pleadingly, a final request to stay out of trouble, looking back down at his own knees as the priest’s footsteps draw closer.

“Junhui,” the priest begins. “Are you ready?”

“Yes. I offer my life to the gods in the hope they will bring prosperity to our people.”

The priest seems to hesitate for a moment and then Junhui sees the blade come towards his stomach. He isn’t sure what he expected it to feel like, but the sensation as the metal enters his body is indescribable. A small ‘oh’ escapes his lips, the pain throbbing through his abdomen as blood starts to spill over the white cloth.

The priest draws the blade out of his stomach and he slumps forwards, unable to think. He wants it to end, wants the pain to go away. Several moments pass and the next blow still doesn’t come. Why? Why is he still alive? They had promised it wouldn’t be painful. 

With his remaining energy, he turns his head, noticing the shadow that has fallen over the area. A cloud? The ringing in his ears is too loud for him to hear what’s going on, only noticing the massive form above his own when his eyes tilt a little more. 

He lets out a whimper, partially out of fear and partially out of agony. The scaled creature peers at him, eyes mesmerizingly beautiful. It reaches two clawed limbs down, scooping him upwards in a movement that sends pain searing throughout his midsection. His head hangs limp, noticing the priests body unconscious against the platform he had just been on. The crowd is panicking and the dragon roars, wings starting to flap as it prepares for lift-off. 

The air rushes around Junhui and his head spins, unable to take in what’s happening. He’s starting to lose consciousness and the blood rushing to his head in his current position isn’t helping. He lets his eyes flutter closed, absently wondering what this means. Is this an unsuccessful sacrifice? Is the dragon a god? Is he already dead and just dreaming?

His brain doesn’t allow him to ponder any longer, a jolt of agony shuddering through his body and cutting off his ability to think. He gives up on staying awake, the wind against his face lulling him into the embrace of unconsciousness. 

-

Junhui wakes up feeling warm.

It’s a pleasant warmth, not suffocating or sweltering. Comfortable, he opens his eyes, feeling a blanket covering his body. There’s definitely still a feeling of pain in his stomach, but it’s somehow dulled to a manageable level. It would seem like the events at the ritual really happened. 

He turns his attention to finding out where he is, looking around the room. The ceiling is a fair distance above him, looking to be carved from stone, soft yellow light illuminating its every crevasse. The room itself seems to be a cave of some sort, very organized despite the large number of trinkets and treasures Junhui can glimpse.

There’s a young man sitting on the other side of the room, looking to be about Junhui’s age. He has some noticeable scarring on his arms, bandages wrapped around his biceps. He’s stirring a cauldron of some sort, which actually smells incredible. Junhui breaths in the scent deeply and the man’s head turns towards him.

His eyes are familiar, very familiar. Junhui gapes a little, remembering the dragon. There’s no way the young man could be the dragon, right? He’s never heard of dragons with multiple forms, but that being said he’s never heard much about dragons. The priests in the village had always said that dragons were just myths and discouraged the study of them.

“Good morning,” the young man murmurs, returning to his cauldron. Despite the distance between them, his voice can be heard clearly. Junhui thinks it might have something to do with the acoustics of the cave. “G-Good morning.”

He isn’t sure where the stutter comes from, but it slips out. The other man doesn’t comment, continuing to stare into his mixture. After a few seconds, Junhui asks one of the many questions floating in the back of his mind. “Um, where are we?”

“My cave,” the man replies shortly, words clipped but not irritated. Junhui purses his lips. That doesn’t exactly clear anything up. “And who are you?”

“Xu Minghao. I’m the dragon.”

Junhui blinks, his suspicions confirmed. “Oh! Thank you for saving me! At least, I think that’s what you were doing, I don’t know. My name’s Junhui.”

Minghao seems amused. “Nice to meet you Junhui. I was trying to save you.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Junhui says, holding a hand up to his head. “Are you a god? Did the ritual work? Am I dead?”

“I’m a dragon, you’re very much alive, and no, the ritual didn’t work but it was never going to. The gods that your village looks up to don’t exist. The suffering of your people is being caused by another dragon.”

Junhui stares up at the ceiling, trying to digest that information. “Are you sure?” He asks tentatively, unsure of whether he wants to believe it. If what Minghao says is true, his death would have been in vain, so he supposes he’s glad the other saved him. Then again, should he really be trusting a guy he’s just met who transforms into a fire-breathing beast ten times his size?

He shakes his head at himself. Have some more faith, Junhui. He saved your life, and it seems like he’s taken care of you too. “Yes,” Minghao replies dryly. “I don’t lie. I hate liars.”

“I want to help my village. Is there something I can do about this other dragon?”

Minghao glances at him incredulously. “They just tried to murder you and you still want to help them?”

“We thought it was the only way to fix things. I’m not holding any grudges,” Junhui murmurs. He hears Minghao sigh and mumble something. There are a few moments of quiet cauldron stirring and Junhui wonders if he’s offended Minghao somehow.

His worries are unfounded, as Minghao shortly speaks. “The dragon who’s doing this is named Hyunsuk. He’s very strong. The scars on my arms are from him. My left wing hasn’t fully healed from when we fought, so I can’t fly very high right now either. If you’re thinking of going and trying to beat him up, first of all, you’d never find him and second, he’d crush you to dust in a millisecond.”

“Surely there’s something I can do? You said you fought him so you know where he is, right?” 

“Your optimism is really something, huh?” Minghao asks grumpily. “Whether there’s anything you can do or not, your primary focus right now should be on getting better. I expedited the healing of the area you were stabbed with my venom, but it’ll still take another day or two to close up.” 

Minghao gets up from his stool, scooping the mixture from the cauldron into a little dish. “So you’re acknowledging there’s a possibility that this Hyunsuk guy could go down?”

The other man snorts at Junhui’s question, coming over to him and helping to pull him upright before placing the dish into his lap. “Eat your stew.”

Junhui glances at it, taking a spoonful and sipping it. As much as he’d like to keep talking about Hyunsuk, Minghao seems to want the conversation to come to an end and Junhui doesn’t exactly want his savior to be irritated with him at this point. He has so many questions but instead of asking any of them, he compliments the food. “This is really good, thanks.”

It’s genuine, the stew tastes incredible. Junhui kind of wants the recipe. Minghao hums out a word of gratitude for the compliment. “What’s in this? Hopefully not human.”

“It’s rabbit stew. I don’t eat humans. Most dragons don’t, actually. I don’t like eating anything that can have a conversation with me, and plus it would be too much trouble to supplement that diet.”

“So some dragons do eat people?” Junhui asks curiously. “I know next to nothing about you guys.”

“Some do, yeah. Hyunsuk probably does. Just like with any species, some of us are friendly and some of us are complete assholes. Unfortunately, we’ve acquired a certain level of infamy due to individuals of the second category. Those of us who aren’t into causing trouble tend to stay hidden since humans like to kill us.”

Junhui frowns. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, no need to apologize,” Minghao says, drinking from his own bowl of stew. “Hyunsuk and I are the only dragons in the immediate vicinity of your village, and Hyunsuk keeps himself pretty quiet too despite causing issues for everyone. It’s understandable you wouldn’t know much about us. My good friend Mingyu lives over the mountains that way.”

Minghao pauses to gesture in a direction (Junhui doesn’t have the heart to tell him that he has no idea what direction it is since they’re in a cave). “He isn’t over here often enough for you to have seen him though. Plus, if I go anywhere near human settlement, I use my human form.”

“You’re still pretty eye-catching in this form,” Junhui says, ears immediately warming. He doesn’t know why he said it, but Minghao chuckles. “I’ll take that as a compliment. My point is mostly that people are more likely to attack a creature the size of a house than what looks like another human being.” 

Junhui grunts in agreement, slurping the remainder of his stew. “Must have been hungry,” Minghao comments, and Junhui laughs nervously. “Sorry. I eat fast.”

“Again, nothing to be sorry about. Anyways, what about you? What do you do in your village?” Minghao’s question comes as a bit of a surprise. Junhui shrugs. “Nothing all that interesting. I dance and make pottery. I have a little brother who I care about a lot and a great best friend. My father’s sick with one of the diseases that sprang up recently, which is one of the reasons I was so eager to restore my village to the way it was before.”

“I love dancing,” Minghao replies thoughtfully. “The action itself and watching others do it. It’s been a while since I’ve seen anyone else dance though.”

Junhui grins. “Maybe when my guts aren’t at risk of falling out I can dance for you.”

“I’ll hold you to that promise,” Minghao replies softly, coming to collect Junhui’s empty bowl.


	2. A New Development

Surprisingly, it only takes two days for the wound on Junhui’s stomach to close. The area around it feels pretty sore and he’ll definitely have a scar but he’s still amazed. Part of him wonders how Minghao’s wing isn’t fully healed yet if he has this kind of ability. 

Speaking of Minghao, he’s grown on Junhui a lot. That might not be saying much considering how willing Junhui is to like people in general, and yet Minghao still stands out. 

Minghao is effortlessly cool, in a way which makes Junhui just as jealous as it makes him attracted. He’s spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure out what exactly it is about Minghao that gives him his aura. Maybe it’s the clothes he wears or his messy black hair. Maybe it’s the way he smiles, the way his eyes glint at Junhui, or the way his eyebrows furrow. Maybe it’s due to his perfect body proportions or the way his arms look in that-

Junhui thinks he should probably stop that train of thought right there.

Regardless of the reason(s) for it, it’s there. As if that on its own weren’t enough, Minghao has a way of making Junhui feel like he’s known him forever. He tries to hide his kindness under gruff remarks but Junhui still notices how attentively he tends to his every need. He’ll tell Junhui to quiet down when he talks for too long but still listens carefully to his nonsensical stories, adding the occasional insightful remark.

If Junhui is within slapping range and makes a particularly bad joke (some of which are credited to Wonwoo), Minghao won’t hesitate to lightly slap him. It’s playful, so gentle it barely even feels like a touch. It makes the atmosphere feel incredibly comfortable as if they’re bantering old friends.

By the time his wound closes, he likes Minghao enough to feel as if he would miss him dearly if he left. He’s torn between wanting to go back to his village and wanting to stay in Minghao’s cave. At the very least, he needs to visit and let everyone know that he’s alive and well. He wants to tell the village what little information Minghao has told him about Hyunsuk, wants to stop them from trying any more radical acts like another sacrifice. 

Minghao’s offered to help him back to the village but has been skeptical about telling the rest of the villagers the real situation. Junhui’s noticed Minghao doesn’t like talking about Hyunsuk in general, tensing up and getting grumpy whenever Junhui presses him for details. More than that, however, Minghao is wary of the reaction of the village’s religious leadership. He says they’ll never believe it, and while the back of Junhui’s mind tells him Minghao might have a point, he insists on at least trying.

That’s how he ends up behind a cluster of huts at the edge of the village on the morning of his third day with Minghao. The dragon stays in the cover of the trees, his eyes blinking out at Junhui until he slips around the front of the hut and out of sight. Junhui takes a deep breath, feeling reassured by the other’s presence. He raises a hand, knocking on the familiar door.

There’s no answer at first, so Junhui keeps knocking, drumming a rhythm against its surface rather obnoxiously. Without warning, the door swings open, a furious-looking Wonwoo on the other side, his hand clenched around the knob. “What the fuck do you want?”

Junhui blinks. “Hi,” he murmurs, and Wonwoo stares at him blankly, face pale. Wonwoo’s eyes travel from his stomach up to his face, and then he pulls him into a hug, yanking him inside and shutting the door behind them. “Good gods. I’ve been mourning you for the past three days, asshole.”

Junhui can’t find the energy to take any offense. He pats Wonwoo’s back carefully. “Sorry. This was the soonest I could come back.”

“What happened to you?” Wonwoo asks, moving backward and examining Junhui once again with his sharp eyes. “I don’t know how much you saw on that day or have been told, but I was saved from being killed by a dragon. He took care of me and told me that the sacrifice wouldn’t have worked regardless.”

“I told you so,” Wonwoo mutters childishly, leading to Junhui rolls his eyes. “Okay, whatever, smartypants. Anyways, he told me that there’s another dragon nearby who’s using his magic to manipulate this area. The crop failure and the new diseases are all due to him. If we get rid of him, they’ll disappear, but he’s gonna be really hard to get rid of.” 

Wonwoo frowns. “Is this your way of asking me to help you?”

Junhui nods cheerfully, ignoring Wonwoo’s derisive snort. He knows the other will help him no matter how annoyed he might act. “I’m going to go out and try to tell the rest of the village. I just wanted to see you first.”

“Good luck,” Wonwoo sighs out. “I’ll clean your guts off the sidewalk when the high priest ‘kills’ you again.” Junhui makes a face at him. “Thanks for the support.”

“Anytime,” Wonwoo says, following him as he strolls outside towards the main square. There are a few people in the streets, all of who stare at him in shock as if they’ve seen a ghost. He supposes to them he is a ghost. As the two of them walk, there’s murmuring, people yelling down the street and inside their houses, telling everyone to come and see. 

By the time they reach the square, they’ve accumulated quite the crowd. There are even priests among the onlookers, the high priest included. Junhui clears his throat, beaming at his mother who comes running as his little brother dashes up to cling to his leg. He pats his brother’s head tenderly. “Hi everyone. I’m not dead, as you can see.”

There’s another batch of loud murmuring, a mixed reaction among the people. “The dragon you all saw on that day saved me. He told me the sacrifice wouldn’t have worked because the actual cause of our issues is the magic of another dragon living in this area. If we want things to go back to normal, we have to get rid of the other dragon’s magic.”

The murmuring increases in volume to a cacophony, everyone loudly voicing their opinions. The high priest talks over them all, voice sounding a lot more nasally than Junhui remembers. “The trauma’s gone to his head. Dragons don’t exist. You have a lot of nerve coming back here after running from being chosen as the sacrifice. Clearly, the time away has turned you into a heathen. You know how our gods feel about creatures like dragons and you still choose to spread such ridiculous lies.”

There are several shouts of agreement from the crowd and Junhui’s face contorts into confusion. How can they deny the existence of dragons when a dragon was literally right in front of them days ago? “What? You all saw him!”

Wonwoo looks just as confused, looking startled as Junhui’s little brother lets go of his leg, backing up with a glazed look in his eyes. Junhui gapes down at him, looking back up at the crowd. “Heathen.”

The insult rings in the air, the onlookers all joining in on uttering it. He scans the faces desperately, noticing even his own mother and little brother have joined in. Wonwoo grips his wrist. “We need to get out of here,” he hisses. 

Almost as if in response to his statement, the members of the crowd start robotically moving forwards, hands up like they're ready to fight. Junhui backs up, turning with Wonwoo and starting to run towards the treeline as the crowd screeches behind them. The noise is unholy, an orchestra of cawing and hoarse whining. 

Junhui hyperventilates, looking desperately for Minghao as they reach the cover of the trees. After a few moments, he materializes beside them, yelling something as they run. “If we get to an open space I can take off!”

Junhui can’t spare the breath to vocally acknowledge him but registers it, the noise of the villagers assaulting his ears. He almost trips on a tree root, the area of his stomach where the wound has just closed crying out in protest as it’s jostled by his running. He lets out something halfway between a curse and whine under his breath, barely noticing the worried look Minghao shoots his way. 

“This way,” Minghao shouts, leading them towards a small clearing. He sprints ahead, a bit faster than either of the humans, beginning to transform as soon as there’s enough space. “Get on my back,” he growls, voice deeper as a dragon, tail swishing through the grass. It’s clear there’s not much time so Junhui scrambles, the both of them barely settled on Minghao’s spine when the first villagers enter the clearing. 

Minghao starts flapping his wings to take off immediately, sending Junhui panicking as he tries to find purchase on his scales. One of the women in the treeline throws a basket at them which Wonwoo narrowly manages to avoid. Junhui clings to one of Minghao’s spikes, finally balancing as they get off the ground. As Minghao had told him previously, he can’t fly very high, but it still does the trick. The villagers soon become distant ants.

As soon as Junhui feels like they’re in safer territory he shoots a terrified glance back at Wonwoo, practically screaming to be heard over the rushing wind. “What the hell was that?”

“I have no idea!” His voice is weak, clearly out of breath. Wonwoo had never been one for running, preferring to stay inside. “Do you think it was the high priest’s doing?” Junhui shouts back. Instead of Wonwoo, it’s Minghao who answers.

“It was someone in the crowd. I couldn’t pinpoint who, but they’re clearly in possession of powerful magic. I’m sorry I didn’t step in sooner.” Unlike the two of them who have to strain, Minghao speaks normally, his voice carrying clearly backward. Junhui is surprised he was even able to hear them. “You have nothing to apologize for!”

Minghao’s body rumbles. “We can talk about it when we land. You’ll lose your voices at this rate.”

Junhui huffs. Trust Minghao to stop him from saying something nice. Poutily, he curls down closer against Minghao’s spine, feeling a little less like he’s about to die when he can’t see anything other than the dragon’s scales. He isn’t sure if Wonwoo is faring any better.

As little as he likes having to fly away from a practical zombie horde, it’s sort of nice being able to experience flight while conscious and not bleeding out. After a few minutes, he sits back up, looking down at the blur of trees below them, feeling like if he starts to fall Minghao will just catch him anyway. The view is gorgeous. Minghao flies quite fast despite his injury, having already taken them into the mountains.

There starts to be a sprinkle of snow covering everything as they go higher, creating a romantic-looking wonderland. Junhui thinks he can tell where their destination is, seeing a rocky ledge jutting out from the face of the cliff ahead of them. It doesn’t look like there’s any way to get there other than flying or rock climbing. Junhui is kind of curious as to whether Minghao had to climb up when his wings were more severely injured. 

Sure enough, Minghao lands on the ledge, crawling inside the narrow opening. Junhui has to duck down against his back again to avoid scraping his head against the cave roof. Once they’ve reentered the large part of the cavern that he’s familiar with, Junhui feels a lot more comfortable. Minghao comes to a stop, tilting his head to indicate that they should get off. 

Wonwoo goes first, smoothly sliding to the floor and stepping off to the side. A little impressed, Junhui attempts to imitate him, stumbling when he reaches the ground. Minghao’s tail shoots forwards, gently steadying him. He shoots the dragon a grateful look. Wonwoo snickers, but Junhui chooses to ignore it.

Abruptly, Minghao transforms back, the process itself more blurry and confusing to look at than anything interesting. He shakes his sweaty hair away from his forehead, looking like an unfairly attractive wet dog. Junhui is torn between wanting to swoon and wanting to curl into a fetal position after what just happened. 

He’s brought out of his dilemma by Wonwoo coughing awkwardly. “Oh, yeah. Wonwoo, this is Minghao. Minghao, this is Wonwoo, my good friend.”

Minghao gives Wonwoo a little wave and a smile. Wonwoo replies with an awkward hey. For someone who likes to make fun of Junhui for being awkward, he’s really not much better. “Welcome to my cave. You’re welcome to stay here. I don’t think you can really go back to your homes from what we just saw.”

“Minghao,” Junhui starts to ask hesitantly. “Do you think what happened had something to do with Hyunsuk?”

Minghao stares at him, eyes boring a hole in his skull. He seems to be debating internally over what he should reply. Eventually, he sighs.

“I think the person was casting the magic was Hyunsuk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wonuwu joins the gang 
> 
> p.s. the villain is named hyunsuk after yg because im mad at him but he's not actually yg just a namesake dont worry
> 
> thanks for reading! <333


	3. New Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just got back from vacation   
> short chapter  
> :)

“What?” Junhui asks. “Are you saying he’s one of the villagers?”

Minghao purses his lips. “Not necessarily. It’s possible, but he could also have just been among the crowd or controlling one of your people. I’ve actually never seen his human form, so I can’t be certain.”

“I’m going to assume this Hyunsuk guy is the other dragon,” Wonwoo mutters, clearly a little bitter about not being in the know. Junhui throws an arm over his shoulder placatingly. “That’s right. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, now let go of me,” Wonwoo replies, squirming out from underneath Junhui’s grip. “But I’m curious about something. If he’s able to control the villagers, why wasn’t I affected? Or Junhui for that matter?”

Minghao walks over to the makeshift desk at the side of the cave, tracing his fingers over what looks like a map absently. “Mind control is very difficult to use, especially on more than one person. The most likely circumstance is that he used the religion of your village against you. If he were the high priest or were possessing the high priest, it would be much easier for him to infiltrate their minds since they’re already susceptible to being ordered around by the religious higher-ups. If you were distrustful of the priests, it would be too much effort to try to influence you since you won’t fall in. I don’t doubt that he could do it, but it would take a lot of energy that he didn’t have then.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Wonwoo murmurs. “What other abilities does he have?”

“He gains extra strength by taking energy from living things. That’s why he’s killing the land around here. I don’t know the full extent of what it allows him to do, but he’s at the very least stronger because of it. He can also breathe fire, but I guess that’s to be expected.” Junhui frowns. “Does he have to do this in order to stay alive?”

“No,” Minghao replies. “All dragons can do it, but the majority would never. It does too much damage to the environment and starts to take a toll on you after a while. The more you do it, the more it starts to control you. It’s really not worth it.”

Junhui frowns, looking down at his feet. “So what do we do?” 

His voice is small, and Minghao looks up at him. “You smell distressed,” the other observes. Junhui is a bit startled, not having known that Minghao could sense things like that. Before he can respond, Wonwoo pipes up. “What do I smell like?”

“Vegetables,” Minghao replies seriously. “Sort of like when you pull a carrot out of the ground and sniff it and it’s covered in dirt.” 

“Who does that?” Wonwoo asks, sounding affronted. Junhui giggles, sobering up when he remembers what they had just been talking about. As much as he hates to drag down the brief lightness in the atmosphere, he has to. “We’re on our own now, right? No one in the village is going to help us.”

“The villagers won’t help us,” Minghao agrees. “But that doesn’t mean we’re alone.”

Junhui notices that his eyes glint sharply when he says it and isn’t sure whether he should be relieved or worried. 

 

He decides to go with worried after ‘Mingyu’ knocks both him and Wonwoo over (Wonwoo twice) and almost slaps Minghao across the face with his tail trying to catch the cauldron of tea he spills. 

Minghao had insisted on the flight over that Mingyu has many talents, had praised the hell out of him. Junhui had been expecting a super buff one-dragon-army, and while Mingyu lives up to the first part of his imagination, he isn’t quite sure he does the second. 

At the very least, Mingyu makes amazing tea. 

The four of them sit around a slab of rock that acts as a table in Mingyu’s cave (which is a lot more cluttered than Minghao’s). After a long match of bickering and petty insults, Minghao had convinced Mingyu to change into his human form, their relationship dynamic a lot different than Junhui had expected from Minghao's praises of him on the way over. 

As a tall, well-muscled man, Mingyu is less of a safety hazard than he is in his enormous dragon form but still retains his clumsiness. He listens attentively to their story, nodding along like he’s thinking about it and bumping his head into the wall next to him. Wonwoo seems to find it very interesting, staring at Mingyu like he’s a brand new book. Junhui decides to ask about that later.

“So will you help us?” Minghao asks, and Junhui is jolted back to the conversation. “Of course,” Mingyu replies. “Always here for my bro.”

Minghao feigns a barfing gesture and Mingyu laughs. “I actually know a few more people who would probably be willing to help out too. We’d have to gather them up, but it’d be worth it.”

“Where do they live?”

“All over the place. There are nine of them in total. They all have various abilities that could be useful if we’re going to try to take this guy down. You might know some, I’m not sure.”

Minghao hums thoughtfully. “How are we going to go about gathering them?”

“We can split up and go visit different people to try and recruit them. Should probably go two and two, since it’ll be faster that way,” Mingyu says, looking between Junhui and Wonwoo. Minghao stiffens momentarily, although there is no discernible reason, mouth opening. “I’ll go with Junhui.”

Junhui smiles at him easily, internally overjoyed. “OK. Wonu, are you good going with Mingyu?”

“Yeah,” Wonwoo says nonchalantly. “Great! Then if you tell us where these people are, we can get started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! <3


	4. Trap?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: description of almost drowning

The first people Junhui and Minghao go to visit are Lee Jihoon and Lee Seokmin, mainly because they’re the closest. Looking back on it, Junhui isn’t sure it was the best choice.

The place that Mingyu’s marked as ‘Jihoon’s Lair’ on the map is a cave nestled into the side of a cliff face over the ocean. It’s not unlike Minghao’s own home except there seems to be absolutely no way in from the cliff side other than flying. The entrance is a lot wider too (thankfully).

When they land and Minghao transforms back into a human, Junhui is uncertain as to whether it’s the right place or not, seeing as they seem to come to a dead end within a few meters of walking. “Hello?” Junhui asks the wall that blocks their path. “Lee Jihoon? Lee Seokmin? We’ve come to ask-”

Before he can finish his sentence, the ground opens up beneath them and they’re falling. Minghao yells something about it being too narrow to transform, sounding quite panicked. Junhui wonders if this is how he’s going to die, in the trap of someone who his friend’s friend claimed to be a friend. He closes his eyes, feeling sick. The fall seems to last forever.

The impact of the water against his legs is like being slapped by the entirety of Minghao’s body, the cold liquid rushing up as his body is propelled further down into the water, the frantic motion of his arms doing nothing to stop the downward momentum. It’s so cold that Junhui thinks he might die of frostbite before he drowns, finally able to try and swim upwards to what he thinks might be a source of light. 

He has no idea where Minghao is, the thought of the dragon sending him into even more of an anxiety fit. Junhui thinks that he’s supposed to stay calm in a situation like this, that freaking out is only going to make things worse, but he can’t help it when his lungs are aching. Junhui twitches, not seeming to get any closer to the light.

Just then, something wraps around his body, sharp objects very gently protruding into his abdominal region. It’s pulling him deeper, dragging him down into the dark. He can’t see anything, let alone the creature grabbing him. This is it, Junhui thinks. 

He kicks his legs, trying to escape when suddenly the water gets lighter again, gets brighter and brighter. Junhui gasps as they break the surface, Minghao’s mouth releasing its hold on his stomach. 

The air is incredibly welcome, flooding into his lungs and back out again with vigor. His limbs feel almost numb with cold. Glancing over at Minghao, he suddenly feels embarrassed, knowing his dog paddle must look quite pathetic. “I'm sorry that you have to keep saving me,” Junhui gasps out.

“Don’t apologize,” Minghao says. “It’s not your fault. Can you swim over to me?”

Junhui nods, flopping his way over and shakily climbing up onto Minghao’s back, an action he’s used to by now. “Was the cavern down there really big?” Minghao grunts affirmatively. “Lucky for us. There’s no way we’d have gotten out by swimming normally. Bastards.”

“They must get a lot of nasty visitors to have something like that,” Junhui murmurs, almost drowned out by the sound of Minghao flapping his way out of the water. “I guess,” the dragon agrees. “Still uncalled for.”

It takes them another thirty seconds to reach the cave again, Minghao staying in his dragon form this time. “Hey!” Minghao snarls down the tunnel, the loud sound echoing back towards them. “We’re friends of Mingyu’s, jerks!”

For a moment, there’s nothing, and then there’s a creaking sound. “Come this way,” a voice says quietly. “And please turn back into a human, Jihoon doesn’t like things that are way bigger than him. Says it messes with his self-confidence.”

Minghao obliges with a fair bit of grumbling, following after Junhui as they walk towards a man who stands by the now open dead-end. “I’m Seokmin,” the man says after a second, gesturing for them to follow him. He seems cheerful, his eyes curled up into a pretty eye smile even when his expression is resting.

‘Well, Seokmin,” Minghao starts. “Do you have anything warm we can sit by, like a fire? Or maybe some towels? Your ‘swimming pool’ is pretty cold.” Seokmin looks back innocently. “We can’t control the temperature, it’s ocean water.”

He sounds so earnest that Junhui believes he’s not actually making fun of them. “But yeah, we do have towels,” he finishes. “And a really nice fire!”

“I thought I told you to dunk them,” a short man growls from across the main cavern as they enter. “Oh, he dunked us,” Minghao snarls back, unamused. Seokmin raises both hands pacifyingly. “They’re friends of Mingyu’s, Jihoon.”

“I’m Junhui, and this is Minghao,” Junhui says quickly, seizing the opportunity to promote their agenda. “We came to ask for your help. There’s a powerful dragon terrorizing the area where we live and Mingyu said you could help us to defeat him.”

Seokmin is more receptive to the idea than Jihoon, who immediately grumbles and marches off somewhere else. Seokmin sits them down by the fire pit in the center of the cavern, a makeshift chimney dug above it, giving them hot chocolate and telling them stories about his childhood.

Junhui really likes Seokmin. The other assures them that he’ll convince Jihoon to come help, informing them they’ll meet up around Mingyu’s home. They thank him, then taking their leave.

 

 

After that, it becomes a lot easier. No one else has any traps at their house. 

Seungcheol is a little distrustful at first but quickly opens up and agrees to help, seeming reliable. Chan is the same way. Joshua is friendly from the get-go, inviting them in and offering them tea before they even tell him who they are. Overall, they’re successful, but by the time they’ve finished visiting the people Mingyu assigned them, it’s dark outside. 

Minghao asks to make camp for the night, telling Junhui his wings still aren’t used to so much flying again after their injury. Junhui readily agrees and they settle at the top of a hill overlooking the ocean, nestled among some trees. The breeze is cold, and Junhui’s incessant pokes at their measly fire don’t do much to generate more heat. 

“Hey, Minghao,” he murmurs, half-joking. “Can you breathe some more fire on this thing?”

The other chuckles, sound deep and throaty in his dragon form. “Sure, get out of the way.” Junhui follows his instructions, moving aside as the burst of flame comes forth, rekindling the fire to a blaze. “That’s talent,” he comments.

Minghao seems satisfied at the praise, settling his large head on his talons. “Can I cash in on that promise of yours now?” 

Junhui racks his brain trying to figure out what Minghao means. “Oh! The dancing?”

“Yeah,” the other murmurs. “I need some Junhui dancing to recharge my battery.” Junhui rolls his eyes, flushing at the remark nonetheless. “It’s awkward without music,” he whines. “Can you at least sing me a song?”

Minghao hums, starting to sing something in a language Junhui doesn’t recognize. He closes his eyes, feeling the rhythm and letting his body move to it. He’s always felt at home when dancing, to the point where the time passes so quickly that it feels like mere seconds later that Minghao’s song ends. 

He stops, catching his breath, and Minghao’s eyes glint, catlike pleasure visible. “Your dancing is incredible,” the dragon rumbles. “Really, I haven’t seen anything like it.”

 

Embarrassed by the compliment, Junhui tries to turn it around. “Your singing was the incredible part. What language was it?” Minghao looks at him calmly. “Dragon language. No real name for it, so we have to refer to it as ‘dragon language’ which is kind of lame, but whatever I guess.”

“Huh,” Junhui says, shivering a bit as the breeze hits his bare shoulders. Minghao catches it. “C’mere,” he says. “Lay against me, I’m a walking space heater.”

Junhui does, settling himself against Minghao’s scaly stomach. As heated as the dragon’s flesh is, Junhui thinks his cheeks are probably warmer. He really hopes Minghao doesn’t notice how much he’s blushing. 

He stays there until Minghao starts snoring, finally allowing himself to relax back into the dragon’s body once the other is asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading <3


	5. Preparation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait! 
> 
> there will probably only be one or two more chapters

Mingyu’s cavern is a mess when they return, possessions scattered everywhere and a multitude of people talking over each other.

Minghao tries to turn around and walk out again as soon as they enter but Junhui pulls him along, waving at some of the more familiar faces. True to his promise, Seokmin succeeded in bringing Jihoon. After a few more moments of chaos, the man who Junhui recognizes as Seungcheol takes charge, getting everyone organized enough to complete introductions. 

The situation is explained again and Minghao tells the group everything he knows about Hyunsuk and his lair. They begin deliberating over a plan of attack, the most painful part of the whole process.

“I still think we should use Seungkwan as bait,” Mingyu suggests unhelpfully, looking smugly satisfied when the man in question reaches out to smack him. Jeonghan sighs, rolling his eyes lazily. “Serious suggestions only, please.”

“That was a serious suggestion!” Mingyu yells, offended. He’s ignored. “I think we should maybe have different groups with different roles,” Joshua murmurs quietly, almost shy. “Like some people distract, some people attack, some people watch the perimeter. Or something like that. I don’t know”

“I agree,” Jeonghan says immediately, earning a dirty look from Mingyu. “Jihoon is really important here,” Soonyoung notes. “He’s the only one that can really block the mind control part of Hyunsuk’s powers.”

Jihoon frowns, his brow furrowing. “The wards I can cast are fairly elementary. It won’t take him too long to get past them if he’s really trying. They’ll only buy you a significant amount of time if he’s distracted enough to not be able to put any energy towards knocking them down.”

“Well,” Chan says. “We can train for the worst case scenario and practice fighting against each other in case that’s what it comes to. I’m sure it won’t, of course. We just have to irritate him as much as we can while doing damage.”

There are some nods around the circle. “What do we do about the fire?”

It’s Wonwoo that asks, leaning against Mingyu’s side and picking at his nails like he doesn’t care about the answer. Seokmin leans forwards, rustling in his bag for something. “Jihoon and I brought these little pouches we brewed. They’re full of powder that will put out any fire so if you start to burn you can quickly douse yourself. We only have thirteen, so if you’re someone with burn resistance consider giving yours to someone else.”

He passes them around the circle, Minghao giving his own to Junhui. Junhui grins at him sweetly and Minghao looks away, expression neutral. There are some murmurs from the group as the packets make their rounds, ending when Seungkwan asks a question. “So, how badly are we trying to hurt this guy? Is the goal to actually kill him?”

Minghao sighs. “Ideally, no. We go as far as we need to in order to get him to listen to us. In the worst case scenario that might not ever happen.”

Junhui frowns down at his knees at the thought of killing Hyunsuk. In the case that it happens, it probably won’t be him dealing the final blow, but he can’t help but feel uncomfortable regardless. “Okay,” Seungcheol says before continuing.

“Let’s split into groups and make preparations over the next few days. I say we have Hansol and Chan stay with Jihoon at the back to protect him while he works his magic. Minghao, Mingyu, Jeonghan, and I will work on doing serious damage to him because of our other forms (from what Junhui can tell, Seungcheol is a werewolf and Jeonghan a vampire). The rest of you, your job is to be as annoying as possible and help us when you can.”

“Sounds good,” Junhui says over Chan’s protests that Seungcheol’s only making them stay with Jihoon because they’re the youngest. Everyone seems pretty satisfied regardless, Chan's complaints mostly for show. Soonyoung becomes the leader of the distraction team, Seungcheol of the attacking team, and Jihoon of the aptly named ‘Jihoon team’. 

 

 

 

 

There’s a lot of sparring within the next few days as per Chan’s suggestion. Junhui’s learning a lot, but he’s also the most tired he’s ever been in his life. They’re all working like slaves, running between combat training and helping with brewing or the care of weapons/armor. 

Every day, they face off against a few select others as many times as Jeonghan deems is necessary. Jeonghan, contrary to his angelic appearance, is very stern, working them to exhaustion. The only time he shows a trace of sympathy is when Mingyu sits down on Junhui’s leg in his dragon form and almost snaps it like a twig. Then again, that’s sort of canceled out by hard he laughs after the fact. 

Speaking of the clumsy dragon, he and Wonwoo seem to be progressing a lot better than Junhui and Minghao despite knowing each other for a shorter amount of time. Although it’s a bit silly to be in this sort of situation, Junhui’s a little jealous. He hasn’t even had time to really talk to Minghao since the night at the campfire. 

They have team bonding dinners every night but Minghao often sits down at the other end of the long table, out of sight but definitely not out of mind. Still, he can’t hold it against him. Minghao looks even busier than he is. Junhui just wishes they could spend some time together again.

The next day, Jeonghan pairs them up for sparring. Junhui immediately changes his mind, deciding that Jeonghan is indeed an angel. 

“Hi,” he whispers cheerfully up towards Minghao’s dragon nostrils. It’s not exactly the most flattering point of view, but Minghao doesn’t seem to care, snorting at him. “Hey.”

Minghao is powerful, Junhui can tell that much. He decides his only real option is to use his smaller size to his advantage. Minghao has a wide range of mobility but is less agile in this form than Junhui. 

Junhui practices with his end goal in mind, buzzing around Minghao and jabbing at him more to be irritating than cause damage. Minghao lands several hard hits on him with his tail, eventually pouncing and pinning Junhui down, catlike.

He runs a cold claw against the column of Junhui’s throat too gently to do anything other than chill his skin. Junhui shivers, unable to tell if he’s being playful or serious. “And you’re dead,” Minghao murmurs, voice low. Junhui blinks up at him for a moment, hoping for a smile, or something. Instead, Minghao backs up, voice harsh when he snarls the next command. “Again!”

Minghao seems to go harder on him every single time, the experience nothing like the nice picture Junhui had in his mind of them gently sparring and chatting. He feels a bit foolish, embarrassed again and again, the thud of his head hitting the ground becoming a familiar situation by the time Jeonghan calls out that they can disperse. 

Junhui hurries away from the valley they’ve been using to train, footsteps stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist. He turns, getting pulled closer to a now human Minghao. The other looks at him searchingly. “Junnie,” he begins. “I’m only being hard on you because I care about you, okay? I really don’t want anything to happen to you in there. The better prepared you are, the better things will go.”

Junhui nods, biting at his lower lip. “Yeah, I know. Sorry if I seem upset. Just a bit embarrassed.”

Minghao shakes his head quickly. “No need to be embarrassed. You’re already holding your own against a fully grown dragon. That’s pretty impressive. Just because you get knocked down a few times doesn’t mean you’re worth any less.”

“Thanks,” Junhui mumbles, smiling at him. “You always tell it to me straight.”

Minghao’s still staring into his eyes. Junhui can feel his hand clamping tighter around his wrist, suddenly yanking him forward. He gently lands a peck on Junhui’s lips before turning to walk away nonchalantly. 

Junhui is left staring at the space he had occupied with a wide open mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! <3
> 
> feedback is appreciated


	6. Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the climax?!?11?!!?@1?@#/2#@!?

Junhui doesn’t have an opportunity to talk to Minghao about the kiss until the evening before the fight, partially due to how busy they are, partially due to Minghao avoiding him.

He corners him on top of the hill that Mingyu’s house is inside, sitting down next to him purposefully. It’s dark, the faint licks of light from his lantern barely highlighting the curves of Minghao’s human face. 

“Hey,” he says gently. Minghao grunts in response, fiddling with his hands. Junhui reaches over, grabbing one of them and squeezing it. Minghao tenses up noticeably but doesn’t pull away. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

The silence hangs in the air, heavy and suffocating, making Junhui want to shrink back into himself. After what feels like an eternity, Minghao speaks. “I was scared you’d be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you,” Junhui says immediately. “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know,” Minghao starts a bit helplessly. “It’s just, I sort of sprang that on you and then ran off, and I didn’t even ask or anything. Then I was too cowardly to talk to you about it and the longer I waited the more afraid I got. I don’t know what I was thinking anyway. I’m a dragon, for god’s sake. There’s no way you like me back, right?”

Junhui blinks, brow furrowing. “No, shush right now. First of all, you aren’t cowardly at all, you’re one of the bravest people I know. Second, I really liked it when you kissed me, so don’t worry about that. I like you, dragon form included. You’re really attractive, nice, you take care of me, and you’re smart. I want you to go into this knowing that I care about you a lot.” 

Minghao looks over at him for the first time since they’ve started talking, his eyes reflecting back the dancing spots of light from the lantern. His mouth forms a little o shape, gaze roaming over Junhui’s face. Junhui smiles at him, reaching forwards to plant a small kiss on his lips. 

Like a splash of paint, a blush spreads across the other’s face, his macho side disappearing into the mountain air. “I care about you a lot too, Junhui,” he says a little too quickly, the words tripping over each other. Junhui laughs. “I’m glad, or that would have been kind of embarrassing.”

“Do you want to like, be in a relationship?” Minghao asks awkwardly, seeming relieved at the nod he receives from Junhui. “Of course, dummy. We’re officially boyfriends. Now that that’s sorted out, can you stop moping up here and come get some sleep? It’s already late.”

Minghao grows even redder, although it’s hard to fully appreciate in this lighting. He accepts Junhui’s hand to get up, smiling at the back of the other’s head all the way back to Mingyu’s place.

 

 

 

They all get up early, Junhui giving shy glances at Minghao over the heads of some of the other group members. The dragon yawns cutely, the sharper teeth in the front of his human mouth showing before he covers them with his hand. His hair is sticking up in every direction but still somehow manages to look flattering. 

Junhui shakes his head, trying to focus on what Jihoon’s saying, the grass around his ankles tickling at his skin. “It’s right up there, so you all need to mentally prepare,” the short man snaps grumpily, a cap pulled so tightly over his head it almost covers his eyes. “While my wards do protect you a little, you need to try your hardest to avoid feeling any sort of strong emotion. That includes excitement, happiness, sadness, anger, anxiety, etc., because it’ll be much easier for him to get into your head if he can latch onto what you’re feeling and manipulate it.”

“Not all of us are sociopaths,” Seungkwan comments dryly, getting a glare worthy of killing someone from Jihoon. “I’m being serious. I don’t need you to be feeling how Wonwoo looks, but at least try to keep yourself under control.” 

Wonwoo straightens up at the comment beside Junhui, not seeming to mind the jab. “We’ll do our best,” Joshua says reassuring, ever the pacifist. There’s a brief pause and then Seungcheol speaks. “Let’s go then, everyone get ready and transform if you need to. He’s almost definitely expecting us at this point, so let’s give him hell.”

There’s a shout of resounding enthusiasm around the circle. Junhui joins in, trying to make eye contact with Minghao. The other has already turned away, beginning to transform. Junhui sighs, giving up and stuffing the packets of powder in his pockets, his spear feeling unusually heavy in his hand. Out of the team in charge of distraction only Soonyoung, Seokmin, and he are in charge of close-range attacks. Junhui’s always been good at archery but he doesn’t mind this task either if it means the others are farther out of harm's way.

He looks down at the ground, trying to calm the anxiety in his stomach as he remembers Jihoon’s words. Whatever happens will happen. As long as they fight their hardest, things will work out. 

Junhui doesn’t have much more time to think before the group is moving, converging up the mountain that they’ve gathered at the base of. As they get higher, Junhui can see the village in the distance, neatly nestled into its little clearing, the fields brown and empty of crops. Determination fills his heart as they enter Hyunsuk’s lair. He has to do this for all of them. For his village. For his new friends. For his family. For Minghao.

He charges with the others, the two dragons comforting bodies of warmth at his side. Seungcheol howls down deeper into the cavern and is met with a resounding roar that no doubt comes from Hyunsuk. It’s bone- chilling but Junhui doesn’t let it get to him, a new sort of adrenaline rushing through his veins. They’ve left Jihoon’s team behind at this point, the wards cast over them by the time they reach the main cave. 

Junhui had spent a lot of time imagining how Hyunsuk might look over the past few days but his imagination had clearly underestimated the dragon. Hyunsuk is huge, towering over both Minghao and Mingyu, not to mention Junhui. He’s kind of gross, honestly, a strangely acrid smell filling the cavern when he opens his enormous maw, the flesh between his scales greenish-brown and peeling. 

Junhui leaps into action, running to the side and calling at the beast, mocking and taunting along with the others as the rest of the distraction team scrambles to their places around the side of the room, getting to vantage points from which they can hurl projectiles. As smart as Hyunsuk might be, he falls for their tricks quite easily, gnashing his teeth and swiping at Junhui and Soonyoung. 

Junhui barely manages to jump over the giant talon that’s trying to cut through his leg, continuing to run as a trail of newly-blown fire follows behind him. He jabs his spear back into Hyunsuk’s paw, feeling satisfied as a roar of anger comes out. At this point, everyone’s in action, the others firing at Hyunsuk from afar while the attacking team deals damage to his core. 

Strangely, Hyunsuk doesn’t even seem to care about them, focusing on snapping at Junhui as he yanks his spear out of the dragon’s flesh, stumbling backward and hurrying to start running again. There’s a strange sensation around his spine, distinctly uncomfortable. Junhui looks back, noticing his shirt is most definitely on fire.

He curses, dropping to roll across the ground as the dragon swipes at him again. Luckily, he doesn’t have to pull out the powder just yet, the flames suffocated by the contact of his back against the stone. Soonyoung notices his struggle, hollering madly at Hyunsuk and pelting him with little pebbles to regain his attention. 

The dragon swings around and Junhui uses the opportunity to jump up, running around to jab irritatingly at his lower limbs. The dragon lumbers away from him towards Seokmin, ignoring the fact that Mingyu’s mouth is sunken into his thigh, the younger dragon hanging on desperately. Junhui frowns, confused by Hyunsuk’s actions.

He doesn’t have long to ponder, noticing how Seokmin is quite literally backed into a corner, his flimsy sword not going to hold up long against the dragon’s claws. Junhui darts forward, screaming loudly and jabbing at the dragon’s underbelly to get his attention away from Seokmin. 

Hyunsuk roars furiously, a taloned paw coming for Junhui faster than he can blink. He’s gripped tightly and tossed across the room into a wall. Soonyoung spins to run towards him, momentarily forgetting the dragon. Junhui cries out a warning too slowly, the other sharing a similar fate, his body crumbling into a corner. 

Junhui scrambles to get upright, trying to ignore the way his head throbs. Hyunsuk swings at him twice more before getting a hit in, Junhui’s reflexes slightly dulled by his head injury. Junhui gasps, clutching at his side which bleeds out onto the floor. The dragon turns away, seemingly satisfied with how badly he’s injured Junhui, moving to another victim. Junhui grimaces, covering the wound with one hand and limping forwards. It’s the same area which the priest had stabbed. It’s almost like the dragon knew exactly where to strike, although that’s a bit of a ridiculous thought. It’s just a coincidence, he tells himself, screaming again as the dragon knocks his tail into Seokmin and topples him over.

Junhui stumbles forward, spear at the ready in his right hand. He looks up, meeting Minghao’s eyes across the room. The other seems paralyzed, his body twitching uncomfortably. Junhui freezes, remembering Jihoon’s words. Strong emotion. Minghao probably felt some pretty strong emotion seeing Junhui get hurt. Shit. Shit. Shit. 

Junhui moves with a purpose, adrenaline allowing him to temporarily ignore his agony. He can hear the others fighting Hyunsuk nearby but his attention is locked on Minghao, whose eyes were definitely not always that color. He remembers their training, inching towards the small dragon cautiously. Minghao tilts his head to look at him, jolting his neck out to snap at Junhui. 

Junhui predicts the movement, grabbing onto the other’s neck and hanging from his scales as Minghao shakes violently, trying to dislodge him. Junhui can practically feel the blood flying out of his abdomen but concentrates on his task, swinging himself onto Minghao’s back with practiced ease. “Minghao,” he breathes close to his ear, clinging on as the dragon writhes. “Stop, please. It’s me, it’s Junhui.”

The dragon rolls over, nearly crushing Junhui against the stone. He can hear Mingyu and Seungcheol’s muffled roaring in the distance, more ferocious even than Hyunsuk’s own noises. Junhui really hopes the main fight is going well. 

Minghao keeps rolling, trying to scratch at him with all of his limbs like a dog trying to get a cone off his head. Junhui keeps yelling at him, trying to get him to listen. Frustrated, he pulls one of the packets from his pocket, throwing it into the other’s mouth when he tries to snap backward at Junhui. 

There’s a weird noise and then Minghao is coughing, choking even. He seems to forget both Junhui and any of the orders Hyunsuk’s giving him, shaking his head wildly and coughing. Junhui can’t help but feel concerned, patting Minghao’s back as firmly as he can. The dragon whimpers, shakily laying down, his head resting against the floor, mouth open. 

Junhui hops off, running to his side, panicking. When he reaches his head, rather than looking hurt, Minghao looks pleased, like a cat that’s just been given a leaf of catnip. Junhui pats his cheek tentatively and Minghao practically purrs up at him, nuzzling his head up into Junhui’s hand. “M-Minghao?”

There’s no response, the dragon still not himself. They’ve clearly been forgotten by the rest of the battle. Junhui goes to get up and the dragon eagerly mimics his movement, giving Junhui an idea. He climbs back on to the dragon’s back easily, motioning him forward. Minghao follows his directions just like a dog that’s been given a treat. 

Junhui urges him through the carnage of Hyunsuk’s lair, passing by an unconscious Soonyoung. It looks like at least one of Jeonghan’s legs is broken or seriously wounded, and Joshua’s been ripped off from his ledge, bow discarded next to his face down body. Wonwoo seems to be limping too, chasing after the dragon the best he can with his slingshot. 

Seokmin’s nowhere to be seen. The only ones who appear uninjured enough to continue fighting without being hindered are Seungkwan, Seungcheol, and Mingyu. Junhui urges Minghao after the dragon, leaning down to whisper next to his ear. “Roar for me,” he murmurs softly, unsure if the dragon can even understand him. Apparently, he can because Minghao opens his mouth and howls, the noise unbearably loud for Junhui. 

Hyunsuk whirls around, eyes almost confused as he sees that Minghao is no longer under his control. He waddles forwards and Junhui holds his hands up invitingly, the other packet tucked underneath his fingers. Hyunsuk bends down, mouth open as if to eat Junhui. 

Junhui smiles.

He throws the packet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk how to write fight scenes help
> 
> sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger
> 
> thanks for reading as always <3
> 
> i really appreciate the support on this fanfic and i love you all ahhhh


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and its over TT

Junhui wakes up slowly, thatch roofing coming into focus above his head.

He inhales deeply, feeling the ache in his side grow as his chest rises. The air smells fresh and clean, a certain stillness hanging over everything. He tilts his head, looking around, his surprise growing. It’s his bedroom. He’s in his own bedroom for the first time in weeks.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” a voice says from nearby. Junhui turns to look for its source, noticing Wonwoo sitting on a stool by the door. The chair next to his bed is empty although it definitely looks like someone’s been using it. Junhui sputters a bit, so many questions rising to his lips that he doesn’t know which to ask first. 

“You’ve been out for two days,” Wonwoo starts in a monotone. “Minghao’s venom made that time a lot shorter than it could have been but you still took some serious damage.”

The other seems to notice the way he perks up a little at the mention of his boyfriend. “Minghao’s been sitting by you this whole time. He only left a few minutes ago because we noticed you waking up and he’s worried that you’ll hate him for hurting you.”

Junhui sighs, clenching his blanket into his fists. “I know,” Wonwoo responds to his unspoken agitation. “I’ll let you two deal with that though. You’re probably curious about how things turned out.”

Junhui nods slightly, eyes curious. “Well, your powder trick worked,” Wonwoo begins. “It drugged him up long enough for us to completely restrain him and have Jihoon cast several spells on him. Once he regained consciousness, everyone who could still talk had a long conversation with him and we managed to get him to swear on an oath to stop using black magic. Took a long ass time though, that’s for sure.”

A sigh of relief escapes Junhui’s mouth. “Wow. I’d have liked to see that,” he starts. “But, how are the others doing? Like Josh? Is everyone here?”

“You’re the worst off out of everyone,” Wonwoo tells him. “The others are recovering pretty quickly, although Jeonghan’s complaining sometimes makes me think otherwise. And yeah, everyone’s in the village. Your family's outside, actually”

Junhui sits up, letting out a whine at the pain that shoots through him. Wonwoo hurries over, worriedly trying to push him back. Junhui resists. “I’m fine,” he insists. “I want to see them. I want to see Minghao. Please, help me up.”

Wonwoo stares at him doubtfully, sighing in resignation as Junhui tries to tumble from the bed himself. With Wonwoo’s hands supporting a lot of his weight, Junhui feels a lot better, tripping out the door of his bedroom like a baby deer on puppet strings. They get only a few feet before Junhui’s parents appear, his mother gingerly slipping herself around him. 

“Junhui,” she wails. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry about everything. I couldn’t protect you, I’m so sorry!” Junhui shakes his head into her shoulder, gentle. “No, mom, none of this was your fault. Don’t feel guilty, please. I’m back now, that’s all that matters.”

She sniffles, letting go and looking away, letting his father hug him too, his father’s smile a lot brighter than it had been the last time they had spoken. “I’m proud of you,” he murmurs into Junhui’s ear. Junhui smiles shakily, using his free hand to ruffle the hair of his little brother who stands there watching. “Thanks, guys. We have a lot to talk about, I know, but first I need to find my friend.”

His mother straightens up. “The black-haired young man? He said he was going for a walk.”

Junhui nods, giving her a small smile. “Yeah, I better go after him. I’ll be back soon.”

 

 

Junhui and Wonwoo stumble around for about ten minutes before they find Minghao, sitting on his own in the clearing they had flown from weeks earlier. Wonwoo shakily lets him go, sensing that they'll want to talk in private, letting Junhui waddle over to where Minghao sits. 

“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” Minghao says gruffly, not looking at him. Junhui sighs. “Don’t do this to me again. I’m not mad at you Minghao, there’s no way I can be.”

Minghao looks at him like a wounded animal. “But-”

“No,” Junhui says, cutting him off. “No, I don’t care if you think you hurt me or whatever. That wasn’t you, it was him. If anything, you saved me by giving me your venom again. I’m really proud of you, Minghao, okay? I love you and I need you to be by my side so I can be annoyingly clingy in my injured state. Don’t try to avoid me this time.”

Minghao gazes back down at the rocks by his feet, scuffing the toe of his shoe against them. “Okay,” he says finally, so quiet Junhui barely hears it. 

“Okay?” Junhui asks.

“Okay,” Minghao replies more confidently, grabbing Junhui by the jaw and pulling him in for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, that's that.
> 
> Once again, huge thank you to everyone who's been reading/commenting/leaving kudos. I really appreciate it.
> 
> <3<3<3

**Author's Note:**

> as i was rereading this i realized how much the beginning reminds me of the intro to skyrim LOL
> 
> anyways thank u for reading! <3


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